ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Gadkari assures Bus and Car Operators of full support in coming out of economic slowdown
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari has assured the bus and car operators of the country that the government is fully aware of their problems, and will fully support them to mitigate their issues. He said that he is in regular touch with the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, who are working overtime to uplift the economy during these difficult days of COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing the members of Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India through video conferencing mode, Shri Gadkari said, opening of transport and highways will go a long way in instilling confidence among the public. He said public transport may open soon with some guidelines. He, however, cautioned towards maintaining social distance and adopting all safety measures like hand wash, sanitizing, face masks, etc while operating buses and cars.
Responding to concerns raised by the audience, the Minister informed that his ministry is looking at adopting the London model of public transport, where government funding is minimal and private investment is promoted. He also pointed out towards the poor standards of Indian bus and truck bodies which he said, work for only 5-7 years, whereas the European models last for upto 15 years. Shri Gadkari emphasized upon adopting their good practices, which will also be economically viable for indigenous industry in the longer run.
The Minister said, he is aware of the tight financial condition of the Indian market during the ongoing pandemic. But, he said, all stake holders will have to work together to combat it. He pointed towards a very good business opportunity being offered by world industry, which is trying to wriggle out of Chinese market. He said, Indian industry should grasp this opportunity to invite those foreign companies to invest with them in India. He expressed confidence that the country and its industry will together win both the battles – the one with Corona, and the one with economic slowdown.
Members of the confederation made suggestions for improving the condition of public transport which include extending interest payment exemptions, restarting public transport, extending age, life limit, deferring state taxes, extending MSME benefits, extending insurance policy validity, etc.
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates His Excellency Yair Lapid for assuming the premiership of Israel
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated His Excellency Yair Lapid for assuming the premiership of Israel. Shri Modi has also thanked His Excellency Naftali Bennett for being a true friend of India.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said;
"Warm wishes and heartiest congratulations to His Excellency @yairlapid for assuming the premiership of Israel. I look forward to continue furthering our strategic partnership as we celebrate 30 years of full diplomatic relations."
"Thank you His Excellency @naftalibennett for being a true friend of India. I cherish our fruitful interactions and wish you success in your new role."
AYUSH
2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 from 23-25 January, 2019 in Goa : Shripad Naik to inaugurate
Union Minister of State  for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, will inaugurate the 2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 on the ‘Regulation of Homeopathic Medical Products; Advancing global collaboration’ being organized from 23-25 January, 2019 in Goa. The organizers of the forum are the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, under the Ministry of AYUSH. International drug regulators dealing with homeopathic/traditional medicines from various countries like France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Russia, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. are expected to participate.
The themes of the forum are: Regulatory collaborations, Converging on minimum regulatory & legal standards, Advancing safety and quality standards, Regulatory trend towards standardization and minimizing complexity, Recognizing homeopathy as distinct holistic medical system and Veterinary homeopathy.
The regulation of homeopathic medicinal products is highly variable worldwide, ranging at a national level from highly advanced to none whatsoever. The potential benefits of regulatory collaboration and harmonization for patients and global markets are significant, but supranational collaboration is advancing only slowly due to highly disparate national situations.
There is a tension between different regulatory needs: on the one hand there is a need for standardization, harmonization and reducing complexity; on the other hand there is need for a pluralistic regulatory system, which respects the specific characteristics of homeopathy as a holistic, patient-centred medical system.
The forum will explore and illustrate the potential benefits and pitfalls of bi-lateral/multilateral collaboration and advance global cooperation on a synergistic basis.
The increasing demand for homeopathic products by patients and health care providers worldwide needs to be underpinned by appropriate regulatory frameworks which respect the national context as well as benefit from experiences and collaboration at an international level.
Key stakeholders and opinion leaders who will be attending the event are: Regulators from all over the world, Homeopathic pharmaceutical companies worldwide, Pharmacopoeia Committee delegates from various countries, scientific experts with relevant expertise and Presidents of major homeopathic doctor organizations.
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Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Tehri for top performance on development parameters in Uttarakhand
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has praised the hard work and dedication of the people of Tehri for topping the State list of development
parameters performance.
Replying to a tweet by MP Smt Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Shri Narendra Modi tweeted :
"इस गौरवपूर्ण उपलब्धि के लिए टिहरी के मेरे सभी भाइयों और बहनों को बहुत-बहुत बधाई! यह विकास के प्रति आपकी लगन और परिश्रम का ही सुफल है।"
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Shri Mukhmeet S. Bhatia takes over the charge of Director General of ESIC
Shri Mukhmeet S. Bhatia, IAS took over the charge of Director General of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation  under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India at its Headquarters today in New Delhi.
Shri Bhatia is an IAS Officer of 1990 batch of Jharkhand cadre. Earlier, he has worked as the Additional Secretary in the Dept. of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. He has got vast experience of governance and management of District & State level Organisations. He has also served as the Principal Secretary in the Dept. of Labour & Employment and Women & Child Development in the Government of Jharkhand.
Shri Bhatia, holds an M.Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies from the Madras University, Masters degree in Business Administration from Faculty of Mgmt. Studies, University of Delhi and a Masters in International Development from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. He is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He has various research papers on Governance and Social Protection to his credit.
Prime Minister's Office
PM to review site work progress of National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal on 18th October
NMHC to proudly showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage
A one of its kind project, NMHC to be developed as an international tourist destination
Project being developed at a cost of around Rs.3500 crore
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will review the site work progress of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat on 18th October 2022 at around 5 PM via video conferencing. This will be followed by his address on the occasion.
Lothal was one of the prominent cities of the Harappan civilization and is known for the discovery of the oldest man-made dockyard. A maritime heritage complex in Lothal is fitting tribute to the city’s historical legacy and heritage.
National Maritime Heritage Complex  at Lothal is being developed as a one of its kind project to not only display India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage and also help Lothal to emerge as a world class international tourist destination. The boost to the tourism potential through this project will also augment the economic development of the region.
The complex, work on which started in March 2022, is being developed at a cost of around Rs 3500 crore. It will have several innovative and unique features such as Lothal mini recreation to recreate Harappan architecture and lifestyle; four theme parks - Memorial theme park, Maritime and Navy theme park, Climate theme park and Adventure and Amusement theme park; world’s tallest lighthouse museum; fourteen galleries highlighting India’s maritime heritage starting from the Harappan times till now; Coastal states pavilion displaying diverse maritime heritage of states and UTs; among others.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Funds amounting to ₹ 112.07 crore under the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs released during current financial year : Shri Anurag Thakur
Renewal of annual recognition of the National Sports Federations  is done after examination of its Constitutions/Memorandum of Associations, with respect to its compliance with the provisions of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, and based on suo moto disclosure of requisite information by the NSFs on its websites. So far, renewal of 10 NSFs namely, Archery Association of India, Wrestling Federation of India, Indian Weightlifting Federation, All India Tennis Association, Wushu Association of India, Squash Racket Federation of India, Amateur Soft Tennis Federation of India, Kudo International Federation of India Association, National Yogasana Sports Federation and Indian Pencak Silat Federation has been done. Till date, the Ministry has released funds amounting to ₹ 112.07 crore for the current financial year under the Scheme of Assistance to the NSFs.
Timely conduct of the National Championships and other domestic events is the responsibility of the respective NSFs. No recognized NSF has filed any legal case against the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
This information was given by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Thakur in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Railways
New Coach Technology
Development / acquisition of new Coach technology on Indian Railways  is a continuous process and decision for the same is taken as per requirement and evaluating the Rolling Stock technology available.
Subsequent to acquisition of LHB technology, following actions in this regard have been taken:
-
- IR has developed technology indigenously and manufactured Vande-Bharat trains .
- IR has already awarded contract for design, development, manufacture, supply, integration, testing and commissioning of IGBT based 3-Phase propulsion, control and other equipment  for manufacture of 44 Vande Bharat trains with improved suspension technology and energy efficiency. Further, procurement of propulsion of 58 additional Vande Bharat trains is under process.
- IR also plans to acquire / manufacture 400 new generation energy efficient Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience. The specification for the same is under finalization.
- Modern Coach Factory  / Rae Bareli has signed a ToT  contract with M/s Dawonsys, South Korea for Design, Development, Manufacturing and Testing of Aluminium Body passenger coaches
At present, about 750 pairs of Mail / Express trains are being operated with ICF rakes.
As a part of Swachh Bharat Mission, Indian Railway has completed fitment of bio-toilets on all its Mainline passenger coaching stock so that no human waste is discharged from coaches on to the track.
Further, bio-toilet with vacuum flushing system has also been developed and being fitted / retrofitted in coaches. Around 1,450 coaches have been fitted with bio-toilet with vacuum flushing system over IR.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM arrives in Israel; accorded ceremonial welcome at Ben Gurion Airport
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv today.
As part of an elaborate official welcome ceremony, Prime Minister of Israel Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, received Prime Minister Modi on arrival. Prime Minister Modi inspected a ceremonial Guard of Honour.
Prime Minister Netanyahu began his press statement with the Hindi words "आपका स्वागत है मेरे दोस्त." He said the Prime Minister is welcomed with open arms and even the sky is not the limit for cooperation between the two countries. He described the Prime Minister as a great leader and a "world leader."
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister began with the Hebrew greeting "Shalom le'kulam. He went on to add in Hebrew "I am delighted to be here in Israel."
He recalled, the Israeli operation at Entebbe, exactly 41 years ago on the 4th of July, when Prime Minister Netanyahu's elder brother had laid down his life, while saving many Israeli hostages.
In our path of sustained high growth, and all around development, India counts Israel among its important partners, the Prime Minister said.
Alongside building a partnership for shared economic prosperity, we are also cooperating to secure our societies against common threats such as terrorism, he added.
Expressing his keenness to meet the Indian diaspora in Israel, he said Jews of Indian origin, have enriched both our societies.
Ministry of Finance
10th and 11th Edition of the Status Paper on Government Debt
The Central Government today released the Tenth and Eleventh Edition of the Status Paper on the Government Debt, which provides a detailed analysis of the overall debt position of the Government of India. The Central Government has been bringing-out an Annual Status Paper on Government Debt since 2010-11.
This paper enhances transparency by providing a detailed account of debt operations during the year 2019-20 and 2020-21 and an assessment of the health of the public debt portfolio based on internationally accepted debt performance indicators. The Government’s debt portfolio is characterised by prudent risk profile. Conventional indicators of debt sustainability, i.e., Debt/ GDP ratio, interest payment to revenue receipts, shares of short-term debt/ External debt/ FRBs in total debt indicate that the debt profile of the Government is comfortably placed in terms of debt sustainability parameters.The Paper also includes a chapter on Medium Term Debt Management Strategy of the Central Government.
The Status Paper is available on the Ministry of Finance’s website:
https://dea.gov.in/public-debt-management
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs
More than 193.53 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
More than 12.39 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTs
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply  75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
|
|
VACCINE DOSES
|
|

|
|
SUPPLIED
|
|
1,93,53,58,865
|
|
BALANCE AVAILABLE
|
|
12,39,76,825
More than 193.53 crore  vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India  and through direct state procurement category.
More than 12.39 Cr  balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.
Cabinet
Cabinet apprised of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and World Health Organisation represented by its Regional Office for South-East Asia acting through its Country Office in India
The Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Agreement  between India and World Health Organisation represented by its Regional Office for South-East Asia acting through its Country Office in India. The MoU was signed on 13th March, 2018 at New Delhi.
The bilateral MoA shall encourage cooperation between India and WHO. This will facilitate in improving the public health status of the people in India.
Ministry of Finance
Inauguration of Go-Quant Camp – a unique educational competitive programme for students from premier business schools of India
The Go-Quant Camp programme hosted by Bloomberg in collaboration with GIFT City under the aegis of International Financial Services Centres Authority  was launched by Shri Injeti Srinivas, Chairperson, IFSCA, here today at a virtual ceremony. Around 800 students from over 30 business schools participated in the event.
Through the Quant Camp, participating students will be trained on the fundamentals of Quantum Computing with a self-assessment component, following which they will compete on the Quant models/solutions that they would have built. A panel of industry experts will select the best ideas and model to identify the winners, who will get a chance to showcase the models to the global investment community.
At the inauguration, Chairperson IFSCA complemented Bloomberg and their entire team for curating a dedicated learning module for the bright young talent from top business schools of the country. He stated that FinTech sector has witnessed phenomenal growth in India over the last five years and such initiatives will only add to the pace. He reiterated the commitment of IFSCA to facilitate the development of GIFT IFSC as a world-class FinTech hub.
Details about the programme can be accessed on https://bbgevent.app/go-quant-camp/#/landing
Ministry of Textiles
Export of handicrafts products including handmade carpets shows steady positive growth in last three years
Government takes several steps for promoting the export of handicrafts
The Office of Development Commissioner  is implementing several schemes for the welfare and promotion of handicrafts artisans. The registered artisans  can avail the benefits of these schemes  and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme ) by participating in different marketing events, skill up gradation, training, design workshops etc. The wage compensation as well as TA/ DA are also provided to the artisans for participation in the events. In addition, interest subsidy @ 6% on the loan amount maximum to Rs.1.00 lakh over a period of 3 years and margin money @ 20% of the loan amount maximum to Rs.20,000/- per artisan are also provided. Under infrastructure scheme various museums, emporia, raw material banks, urban haats, are also set up. The export of handicrafts products including handmade carpets has shown steady positive growth in last three years. The details of handicrafts export during last 2 years are given in Annexure-I. The Government has taken several steps in promoting the export of handicrafts. In addition to several standard International Marketing events, the virtual marketing events have been also organized to provide international marketing platform to the artisans. Domestic marketing events like Gandhi Shilp Bazaar, Craft Bazaar and Exhibitions are organized to provide domestic marketing platform to the artisans. The details of domestic and international marketing events organised during last 3 years is given in Annexure-II. Handicrafts Technical Training Programmes and Design Development Workshops were conducted, 65 Tool kits distributed and a Common Facility Centre has been established to support Nirmal painting artisans.
Annexure-I
- Details of Marketing Events organised during 2018-19 to FY 2020-21
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|
Sl. No.
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|
Financial Year
|
|
Domestic Event
|
|
International Event
|
|
Gandhi Shilp Bazaar
|
|
Craft Bazaar
|
|
Exhibition
|
|
National Fairs/ Event
|
|
Total No of Domestic event
|
|
No. of Event
|
|
1
|
|
2018-19
|
|
66
|
|
64
|
|
85
|
|
3
|
|
218
|
|
54
|
|
2
|
|
2019-20
|
|
42
|
|
41
|
|
87
|
|
2
|
|
172
|
|
50
|
|
3
|
|
2020-21
|
|
32
|
|
34
|
|
79
|
|
0
|
|
145
|
|
18
Annexure-II
Details of export of handicrafts  during last 2 years

|
|
Sl. No
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|
Financial Year
|
|
Export 
|
|
1
|
|
2019-20
|
|
37069.59
|
|
2
|
|
2020-21
|
|
39490.37
This information was given by the Minister of state for Textiles Smt. Darshana Jardosh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 97.14 Cr
Recovery Rate currently at 98.07%; Highest since March 2020
16,862 New Cases reported in the last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload  is 0.60% of Total Cases
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 112 days
With the administration of 30,26,483 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 97.14 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 95,66,873sessions.
The break-up of the cumulative figureas per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,03,75,695
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
90,66,113
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,83,61,142
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,54,84,841
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
39,11,64,632
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
10,81,79,876
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
16,72,35,490
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
8,52,83,655
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10,54,86,278
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
6,08,00,831
|
|
Total
|
|
97,14,38,553
The recovery of 19,391 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients  to 3,33,82,100.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.07%. Recovery Rate is currently at its highest peak since March 2020.
Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 110 consecutive days now.
16,862 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The Active Caseload is presently 2,03,678, which is the lowest in 216 days.Active cases presently constitute 0.60% of the country's total Positive Cases.
The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of
11,80,148tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 58.88 Cr  cumulative tests.
While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 1.42% remains less than 3% for the last 112 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be1.43%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below3% for last 46 days and below 5% for 129 consecutive days now.